According to a news release from the Fruitport Township Police Department, officers were at the mall responding to a shoplifting Wednesday, Nov. 27, when a woman left the same store, passing directly in front of the officers.

Security devices attached to merchandise hidden in her purse triggered an alarm when she passed through sensors near the exit, police said.

Officers confronted the woman and recovered allegedly stolen merchandise from the store. Officers said they found her purse was lined with tin or aluminum foil, often believed to interfere with security devices that detect tagged merchandise.

The woman was arrested and lodged at the Muskegon County Jail.

According to police, in Michigan it’s an additional crime to possess a coated bag, such as a foil-lined purse, intended to shield merchandise from theft-detection devices.

John
S. Hausman covers courts, prisons, the environment and local government for
MLive/Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at jhausman@mlive.com and follow
him on Twitter.